Last April, Stockholm supergroup Swedish House Mafia overwhelmed the senses at Coachella, delivering a wow-inducing spectacle like that festival's main stage has only seen from the likes of Roger Waters.

But now the trio of internationally renowned house music DJs – lifelong friends Steve Angello and Sebastian Ingrosso and their mate Axwell – are "calling time" on touring, as their manager Amy Thomson explains, with a tour that makes one of its final stops this weekend for two enormous events in Los Angeles.

Massive crowds are anticipated: 35,000 each night at Los Angeles State Historic Park, where patrons will be engulfed in what's called the Masquerade Motel, a multi-faceted complex of stages (also hosting recent Grammy winner Nero, hot shots Zedd and Alesso and more) plus special effects designed to reach all corners of the verdant sprawl. It should be an awesome sight – one Thomson hints might suddenly alter the city's weather.

Will it really be farewell forever once SHM's tour wraps at Miami's Ultra Music Festival later this month? Who keeps to such rigid claims? Still, as with French duo Daft Punk, who record but rarely tour, it could be several years before these Scandinavians return. As a unit, anyway.

When we spoke, Thomson and her clients had just played a "Black Tie Rave" in NYC to raise money for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief. As a salute, the Empire State Building was lit up blue and yellow. "That was a whole other level," she says, "a complete career highlight for all of us."

SOUNDCHECK: What can you tell me about the Masquerade Motel?

AMY THOMSON: We've been working with a set designer (Page Buckner) who's worked on "Spider-Man," "Iron Man" and "Django Unchained." He's used to coming at things from a different point of view, which we're really happy with. Basically, he's built a motel that you walk through, which is going to be really brilliant. What's really important to us is that the site is fully utilized. The effects you see at a show are always on the stage, and if you're not near the stage you don't necessarily get hit by the effects as much as possible.

We start at the back of the site, where there's a raised hill that no one uses, and we've turned it into a garden. The tent where Nero is performing has been made into a chandelier ballroom. Then there's a penthouse VIP area; there's a "Room 101," which is kind of a nightclub within the nightclub; and there's the general food truck and beautiful bar areas.

But then the towers you normally see that have ground lighting or signage on, we're using almost all of them as effects units. We'll be using lasers, and I can't go too much into the special effects, but the weather is going to change in L.A.

Q. The weather will change?

A. Yeah, that's all I can say. But yeah, something's going to happen to the weather in L.A.

Q. It seems like this will go well beyond what they were able to bring to Coachella.

A. Yeah, well, that wasn't about us. This is strictly about us and these other artists that we absolutely love. This isn't just another nine-hour gig, you know. This is another world that you check into. It's an environment we're creating to host not just us but 35,000 guests and 22 artists we really care about.

Q. It's not an enclosed set, right? You're still going to be able to see the sky?

A. Oh God, yeah. It's an open-air event. But at some point there will be something blocking your view to the sky. I can't tell you what, though.

Q. What's the mood among the guys as the tour winds down? Is it bittersweet?

A. No, it's sheer excitement! These are some of the biggest shows of our lives, and after that we're looking forward to the future. This isn't the end of anything. This is just us calling time on a phase and starting a new one. We all know what we're doing afterwards, so we're really excited about getting through to that. But also we're really excited about New York and L.A. and Miami, because those are three cities that have played such massive parts in our career. It's a highlight for us to end that way.

Q. So there are ideas of what will come next?

A. Yes, lots of ideas. We're just not telling anybody yet. (Laughs.) We need to focus on one thing at a time, so we won't be telling anyone any of that for awhile.

Q. SHM as a live entity only lasted a few years. What will their lasting impact be?

A. I think that they'll always be known for risk-taking and making bold moves. And those bold moves aren't going to stop. The decision to call time on touring as a trio is just another bold move. It's not the end; it's actually the beginning.

But I think they'll be known for really going out and putting their money where their mouth is. They decided to headline their own festival and build their own show. It's very easy to always go out on someone else's tour. It's harder to do things yourself and manage your own future and create your own whole ecosystem. And that will go on to live for the next 20 years. Now, it's about how we power that ecosystem, not to over-saturate things before we move on to another.

Q. They've said they had taken things as far as they could go as Swedish House Mafia, yet you're hinting at more to come.

A. Yeah, well, remember they've been friends since they were in school. They've called time on a phase, that's all, and collectively and individually they'll create new entities that will move forward, and they'll create other talent behind them and other brands and other products. That's just begun. And actually, if Swedish House Mafia carried on, that would never be possible, because touring is so all-consuming. We called time on it because of bigger things to come, not smaller.

User Agreement

Keep it civil and stay on topic. No profanity, vulgarity, racial
slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about
tragedies will be blocked. By posting your comment, you agree to
allow Orange County Register Communications, Inc. the right to
republish your name and comment in additional Register publications
without any notification or payment.